Characterizing the Extent of Contamination

To address a radiological incident effectively, it is critical to ascertain both how much radioactive material has been released and what has been exposed—people, infrastructure, equipment, and the larger environment. This knowledge is essential for minimizing additional human exposure, designating the extent to which areas or resources can be used, and undertaking effective decontamination efforts. There are many complex aspects of this assessment process. In general, radiation measurements will be highly localized: the amount of radiation exposure may vary considerably over relatively small areas. For example, wherever slight variations in local topography cause puddles of water to form, radiation